Chapter 27: The First Letter (27)
Chapter 27: The First Letter (27)
Lately, Seria’s days were defined by a stark contrast of light and shadow.
Never before in her life had the distinction between the two been so clear. Until recently, her daily existence had been lived entirely under a lingering shroud.
Her days had been a dull, drab gray. Swinging her sword, eating meals, attending lectures. She simply endured each day, no different from the one before, with nothing but the sword on her mind.
But things were different now. A sense of 'light' had begun to seep into her routine.
It was a warm feeling, the memories of those moments slowly saturating her heart. Like rainwater soaking into a rock, it was a change she hadn't noticed at first.
However, at some point, she found herself waiting for the time she spent with a certain man. Much like a tamed beast waiting for the one it shared a bond with.
Humans were no different from beasts in their basic principles of action. They pursue happiness and avoid pain. Seria was the same.
Lately, she was happy when she was with Ian, and generally miserable when she wasn't.
Countless people mocked and despised her. It would have been a relief if it ended there, but the insults directed at her mother and the subtle, persistent bullying were steadily gnawing away at her mind.
No matter how much she tried to ignore the eyes of others, it was unavoidable. Seria had been unable to trust anyone since birth. Yet, being a human—a social animal—she still harbored a corner of loneliness and a craving for recognition in her heart.
She thought she had grown used to the ostracization fueled by jealousy, but that was arrogance.
Once an atmosphere of open mockery and harassment was established, the level of vitriol and bullying escalated to heights she could never have imagined. Even touching upon her family, which had been considered a sort of taboo, was now fair game.
They surely knew how much those words would hurt her.
Before anyone could even question the atmosphere, a large number of students had already been swept up in it. Humans were social animals, after all. It was easy to justify actions committed as a group.
Furthermore, Seria had recently lost much of the pride she took in her own skills.
Until then, Seria had rarely experienced failure. Granted, she suffered bitter defeats every time she faced her half-sister—the one person she truly wanted to beat—but in almost every other situation, her talent and effort had always secured victory.
But how was she lately?
She had been defeated by Senior Ian without landing a single blow. In their match the following week, she had her sword taken from her after he caught her off guard at the final moment.
Moreover, not long ago, she had made a fatal mistake by failing to heed Senior Ian’s advice. It was fortunate that the skill Senior Ian displayed that day was beyond imagination; otherwise, she would still be suffering from crushing guilt.
It was inevitable that her pride would break. And in its place grew feelings of admiration and respect for Ian.
Senior Ian was not only kind, but his skills were also specialized for real combat. When it came down to an actual fight, he might be even more incredible than someone like her, who did nothing but make mistakes.
Above all, Senior Ian was Seria’s only 'friend.'
Seria was still in the process of learning what a 'friend' truly was, but it was clear that he had brought light into her life.
She was happy when she was with Senior Ian.
When he smiled at her for no reason, or when he worried about her pale complexion, her heart would flutter.
If their hands happened to brush, her face would flush hot, and if she suddenly realized how close they were standing, she would startle and stammer in confusion.
She had been rude many times. Even so, Ian never blamed or insulted her.
Lately, he was the only person who smiled at her. That was why Seria felt Ian was so special.
Seria praised her past self for gathering the courage to ask Senior Ian for instruction. If she hadn't, they wouldn't have the relationship they had now.
Seria shuddered at the mere thought of what would have happened otherwise. Not a single ray of sun would have reached her life. She would have spent her gloomy days amidst the mockery and criticism of countless people.
As long as Senior Ian was there, even those who ostracized and bullied her kept their mouths shut and said nothing.
When she stood by his side, Seria felt as if she were in a different country. She enjoyed it immensely, and it made her like Ian even more.
So this was the fluttering, wonderful emotion called 'friendship.' Thinking this, Seria would secretly recall Senior Ian at night and let out a faint smile.
However, where there is light, the shadows feel all the darker by contrast.
In particular, a few who realized that her mother was her weakness clung to that issue with vicious persistence.
"Speaking of which, where the hell does that brat's mother even come from?"
"How should I know? Since she's lowborn, she could be a street whore, or maybe an ambitious maid who tried to climb the social ladder. Well, not that a prestigious noble family would ever actually take in a woman like that."
Either way, it was a futile dream, they snickered.
Seria’s eyes instinctively sharpened at the excessive insults. She gritted her teeth and glared at the group of men.
The group was sitting on a bench, snickering as they watched Seria pass by. They were sipping fresh fruit juice from cups, their expressions saying, What are you going to do about it?
"Hah, a prestigious house is still a prestigious house. You have to kick out a woman who doesn't know her place like that."
"But is her mother really a whore or what? Then her father might even be someone else entirely, right? She could've been a woman who slept around anywhere."
"That’s the downside of being lowborn."
They were likely waiting for her on the path to the swordsmanship training grounds, knowing the time she usually passed by. Seria, who was already sensitive lately, found the continued insults impossible to bear.
Clenching her fists tightly, her body trembling, Seria walked toward the two of them with a murderous aura.
She couldn't use violence. While using violence wouldn't lead to immediate expulsion, she was an illegitimate daughter. If a lowborn person clashed with a legitimate heir of the nobility, it was obvious what the main house would say.
Insulting her mother? They wouldn't care at all. Her father, the head of the family, would likely maintain his characteristically cold voice even while riddled with illness.
'Forget that woman, Seria. She is a woman who no longer exists.'
But her boiling insides told her she had to say at least one thing. Her anger reaching its peak, Seria marched straight toward them.
"Oh?" They let out small exclamations of surprise. She should have realized then.
In her fury, Seria was caught off guard when the ground beneath her suddenly gave way. She lost her balance, her body swaying slightly. However, she was an excellent swordsman; she wouldn't fall from something like this.
Until the ground beneath her right foot, which she stepped on to regain her footing, gave way once more.
She slumped awkwardly onto the ground. It was Dig magic. A very basic spell; normally, she would have easily avoided it by leaping away. Even now, her posture hadn't completely collapsed.
She could have sprung up and charged at her enemies. If she did, that pack of bullies would be no match for her. But this wasn't a battle.
It was merely insidious bullying. An elaborate prank designed to humiliate her.
Even for an Academy student, one couldn't use magic so instantaneously without chanting. It was clearly a prank prepared over at least several days.
That malice left an even deeper wound in Seria’s heart. As she stood up, she glared at them with resentment.
They simply stood up, snickering as if they had seen a good show. One of them passed by Seria and playfully stumbled.
"Oops!"
The fresh fruit juice he was holding fell perfectly onto Seria’s head. Seria trembled as she felt the sticky liquid splatter over her.
The one who spilled the juice casually picked up the cup from the ground and patted Seria’s shoulder as if apologizing. Of course, there wasn't a shred of sincerity in his actions.
"Sorry, sorry. I tripped too. Man, the path here is pretty rough."
For a moment, murderous intent flickered in Seria’s eyes.
She could grab the hand patting her shoulder right now and throw him over her shoulder or drive an elbow into his solar plexus. He would be rolling on the ground, unable to even breathe properly.
But the opponent was a noble.
His manner of speech, his appearance—it was all obvious. He wasn't from some quiet countryside estate. That characteristic aura of arrogance was a trait held only by high-ranking nobles of at least the rank of Count or higher.
Seria was also from an influential family, but she was, in the end, an illegitimate daughter. Even so, given the family's power, she could crush them if she had a proper justification, but not now.
He had apologized, and he had feigned an accident. The insults hadn't been directed at her personally, either. At least, he hadn't used words that specifically identified her.
That was what was so frustrating. It meant the bullying was that well-calculated. The fact that someone had put so much care and effort into making her suffer made her feel unbearably miserable.
In the end, Seria turned her gaze away without a word. Her body was shaking. She bit her lip, but it felt like tears were about to leak out.
As if they had expected such a reaction, the students, led by the man of noble bearing, walked away with sneers on their faces.
Seria stood there blankly for a long time. Seria’s daily life without Senior Ian was this sorrowful.
She turned her steps toward a nearby building. She had to wipe the drink from her hair somewhere; her uniform was also sticky, so she might even have to go back to the dormitory.
But Seria soon had to stop in her tracks. In the distance, she saw a familiar shadow. He seemed to have spotted Seria as well, approaching with a bright face before freezing in his tracks.
"Seria! Are you on your way to the training grounds...?"
Seria’s mind went blank.
Of all people, she had been seen by the one person she least wanted to see her like this.
He was the person she always wanted to look pretty and good for, so why?
Biting her lip, she desperately avoided the gaze of the man approaching her. Her face burned with shame.
It was Senior Ian. His face was gradually hardening into a grim expression.
"...My mother was kicked out when I was young."
We were in a forest clearing. I had roughly wiped the drink from her hair with a plain cotton cloth I carried as a bandage substitute, then headed to the clearing to avoid people's eyes.
Seria looked particularly dejected today. She sat huddled on a flat rock located in a corner of the clearing.
I stood with my back to her, listening to her words in silence.
"I didn't even know why it had to happen. I was only a six-year-old kid, so even though my mother cried and pleaded, my father didn't even blink."
To a child of that age, a mother was more than just a parent.
She was their entire world. The being who embraced and loved them.
Seria had that being taken away. It must have been a shock. Unable to measure the depth of that pain, I remained silent instead of offering clumsy words of comfort.
She continued speaking. Her voice was uncharacteristically pitiful.
"When my mother kept screaming my name and holding on until the end, my father called the knights. The knights trampled and beat her until her body was battered. Even so, she kept reaching out toward me until the very end... that sight..."
"It must have hurt."
Seria trailed off, as if she couldn't bear to continue. So, in a low voice, I said the words she likely wanted to let out.
Her voice trembled. It was a voice soaked in moisture, a terrible past.
"My mother left like that... I never heard from her again. My father just told me to forget her, but that night, my sister came to me and said..."
If she meant 'sister,' there was only one person I could think of.
The legitimate heir of the Yurdina family, the woman who would become the Sun of the North.
The fourth-year student Seria said she absolutely wanted to defeat at the Hunting Festival.
"...What did she say?"
"To be careful."
Like a groan, Seria spat out a shard of glass embedded in her heart. Her voice was thick with tears.
"She said if I couldn't prove my worth, I would end up like that too. My sister... she was probably serious. It might have even been her way of giving advice. But those words... those words felt so terrifying back then..."
She fell silent for a moment, her throat tight. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. It seemed she was crying.
Seria looked fragile today. This must be the side of her she had been hiding. The weak core hidden behind a proud and haughty shell.
Despite that, Seria managed a faint smile. My eyes, which had been turned away, drifted toward her.
"So... so I guess I got angry when they insulted my mother. I'm okay now. Because Senior Ian is here..."
I'm okay. Those short words felt like they were stuck in my chest, and for a moment, I couldn't say anything.
A person who is truly 'okay' doesn't cry. Their throat doesn't tighten. They don't shed tears and then desperately wipe them away with their sleeve.
Naturally, they don't pretend to be strong or force a smile. So how, how could she say she was okay?
Countless questions swirled in my mouth, but in the end, the only words I managed to force out were these:
"...I'm not okay."
Seria looked a bit flustered, her eyes, still moist with tears, widening. Then she gave a weak smile.
"I'm really fine, Senior Ian. I'm just..."
"Not you."
My words cut her off. Seria’s bewildered gaze turned toward me. Seeing the tear tracks remaining near her eyes, I felt a surge of emotion.
My hand toyed with the sword hanging at my waist. Can I hold back?
The answer was obvious.
A rough heat escaped my throat.
"I said I'm not okay."
With those words, my body shot forward. It happened before Seria could even respond. My eyes sank deep as I ran.
Leaving the forest and entering the Academy grounds, there were many passersby. I grabbed them indiscriminately and asked for someone's whereabouts.
I had to find Teahn, that bastard from the Southern Kingdoms.
Perhaps because he was such a conspicuous fellow, it wasn't difficult to find out where he was. Passersby looked at me with bewildered eyes, but seeing the urgency in my gaze, they obediently gave up the information they had.
He was behind a certain lecture hall, in a secluded clearing, snickering with his gang.
A man of noble bearing was sitting next to him. He didn't look like he was from the Southern Kingdoms, but he seemed to be someone Teahn hung around with.
"So, that brat couldn't even dodge a basic spell and fell over..."
"Man, that must've been a sight. I assume you spilled the juice on her too?"
"Of course! It was bathwater so expensive a lowborn couldn't even dream of it."
Hearing their snickering, I steadied my breathing. Then I walked toward them. Teahn’s gang, combined with the noble-looking man’s gang, numbered about seven.
It was fewer than the number he usually brought around. Each of them likely had their own schedules, which was fortunate for me.
At my sudden appearance, Teahn’s gang, who had been cackling, immediately focused on me. Teahn looked bewildered for a moment, then stood up with a smirk.
He tapped my shoulder with his elbow. It was a greeting from the Southern Kingdoms.
"To what do we owe this visit from the Academy's rising hero?"
"Seria."
"Hmm," Teahn grunted, slightly avoiding my gaze. It wasn't a name he wouldn't know. It was the name of the person he was bullying.
"From now on, don't touch Seria."
"Well, that's not a difficult request between us, but..."
Teahn trailed off as if contemplating. His gaze swept over his gang. They were watching the conversation between Teahn and me with intrigued eyes.
In particular, the man who was said to have tripped Seria with Dig magic showed more blatant interest. He stood up and slowly approached Teahn and me.
Teahn glanced at them, then looked at me and smiled slightly.
"...But we can't just do it for nothing, can we?"
My brow furrowed slightly. Then, the man of noble bearing took over for Teahn. He spoke to me with a sly smile.
"Right, you're a noble too, so you should know. As a rule, a request requires something in return... I assume you've thought that much through."
I was silent for a moment, then stated firmly in a low voice.
"You guys won't touch Seria from now on."
At my confident words, the noble-looking man’s face brightened. He opened his mouth with a chuckle, looking expectant.
"Just what kind of grand price did you bri—Guh?!!"
Crack! My fist slammed into the man's face. With a sickening thud, the man's facial tissue momentarily collapsed and crumpled.
Blood sprayed, and white fragments of teeth scattered, reflecting the sunlight. It was a clean strike, delivered without a moment's hesitation.
Because of that, not even Teahn, let alone the person whose face I had just smashed, could react. Teahn’s dumbfounded gaze turned toward me, and the noble-looking man rolled on the ground, his face a mess from just one blow.
A crashing sound echoed as the man tumbled across the ground several times. The impact was dramatic. The power of my fist, which had struck like a bolt of lightning, was not something a man who looked like a mage could handle.
Everyone’s gaze, unable to comprehend the situation, turned toward me. Only faint confusion could be felt in their eyes.
Only then did I smile. Just as Teahn and the noble-looking man had.
"Because if you don't want to get beaten to a pulp by me, you'll have to."
It was a declaration marking the start of another battle.